Enemy of the State St.

I will not be going to State St. this Halloween. I urge all of you not to go either.

My opposition is not simply because of the admission fee. I do not have a problem with paying $5 to help the city to cover their expenses, if the city is spending the money reasonably. But there is not a need for the number of police officers that will be there. There is no need for music stages, or stadium lights.

My biggest problem with the way they are running things this year is the attempt to rebrand the event. What authority did the Halloween Action Committee have to change the name to 'Freakfest?' What was wrong with 'Halloween' (other than that it can't be trademarked)? And why do you need to call us freaks?

So hit up the other downtown bars. Go to Langdon. Just don't buy a ticket for State St. If no one goes, and the city doesn't recoup any money for their overblown plans, they will have to change it back for next year. And if no one is on State St, the city council will have a little bit of pressure put on them from the bars and other businesses.

Madison needs to learn to stop trying to regulate everything. Does the State (St.) belong to the government or the people?